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^îortlanb Ofrbseruer
(USPS 959-680) Established in 1970
Charles W ashington
P u b lis h e r A E d ito r
M ark W ashington
D is ts rib u tio n M a n a g e r
Gary A nn T a y lo r
Business M a n a g e r
Larry J. Jackson, Sr.
D ire c to r o f O peration
Y vonne Lerch
A cco u n t Executives
M ike Leighton
Copy E d ito r
C o n trib u tin g W rite rs:
Professor M c K in le y B urt,
Lee Perlman,
N e il Eleilpern
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1996 T H E P O R T L A N D O B S E R V E R
O U T P E R M IS S IO N IS P R O H IB IT E D .
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rClie <3Ldit0r
Send your letters to the Editor to:
Editor, PO Box 3137, Portland, OR 97208
Skip the apology!
H arry C. A lford , P resi -
N ational B lack
C hamber of C ommerce
by
dent /C E O ,
h the rhetoric! How
sweet the sound of em
pathy and compassion
which can act as an opiate to
disarm those that have been
maimed by a society which re­
garded them as less than hu­
man.
O ur president has form ed an­
ther (o f the endless) com m ission to
discuss race issues and to suggest
what path we should go dow n next.
There is talk form some o f our
legislators to give a form al apology
fo r the slavery o f the past. L e t’ s
look a this issue fo r a short m o ­
ment.
How is an apology gong to heal
the damages done and the su ffe r­
ing currently experienced by us as
a people via econom ic deprava­
tion We are the poorest, unhealthi-
est and least achieving group o f
people in this country. It ju s t d id n 't
happen, it is the result o f the c r u d ­
est form o f slavery ever practiced,
and nearly a century o f apartheid
and econom ic oppression. We are
h u rriedly try in g to play “ catch up"
but still a system o f d iscrim in a tio n
resolved to do one thing: D ocu­
ment the horrors our ancestors have
experienced and prove the impact
it currently has on us and our c h il­
dren.
F in a lly , attach a “ b ill" to this
and file suite against the United
States fo r reparations. We hope to
make a “ m odel” fo r other Black
clans to fo llo w and be made whole.
T h is apology verbiage is laugh­
able. We want to be made w hole!
They w o n ’ t ever vo lu n ta rily so this
so we must prove the damage w ith
irrefutable facts and make demands
through federal courts.
The plantation master. James
W A lfo rd , sexually abused our
great great grandm other. Nancy,
and impregnated her w ith 7 sons.
W hen he died in I8 6 0 and his
estate was d ivided up amongst his
c h ild re n , our great grandfathers
were not included. A system that
discrim inates amongst o ff spring
based on race is im m oral and should
pay fo r damages caused by such.
We can prove this lineage from our
n e w ly fou n d w h ite great great
grandfather through D N A and we
aim to do it! Y ou should sec the
court records when they divided up
his estate and no mention o f "u s”
plays a role in suppressing what
progress we may achieve. For what
I know and the rage w ith in me (that
I suppress). 1 d o n ’ t w a n t ‘‘ M r
C h a rlie " to apologize fo r his great
grandfather. I want the damages
done to m y great grandfather paid
fo r via reparations to me. they did
was made.
W hat makes me even more en­
it fo r the Japanese interred during
possession to nearly 2,(XX) acres. B it
W o rld W ar II they have form al
treaties w ith Indian tribes thro u g h ­
by bit and piece by piece they lost it.
Today, my fam ily has no more than
out the nation and aggressively
assisted Am erican Jews w ho were
do reparations fo r the atrocities o f
70 acres left o f this massive amount
o f gtxxl Louisiana farm land. M y
brother and I have read "trumped
Nazi Germany.
Each and every one o f you should
up" b ill o f sales, suspect auction
documents, etc. that gave this land,
figure out the names o f your ances­
tors between the period o f 18(X) -
for very little money, to developers
1920. then start tra c k in g them
through the N ational A rchives and
applicable court houses I have been
doing this for over a year and the
further I investigate the more en­
raged I become. I have id entified
...!
RAINBOW PU$H
*’"• *** very once in a while, it is
> useful to put current
events in a global con­
text. Reverend Jackson did so in
a recent speech to the Global
Labor Summit in Denmark, to an
audience of 6 0 0 progressive
trade union leaders from more
than 1 00 nations.
C O A L IT IO N
Winds of Change
E la b o ratin g on an analysis by
A m erican p o litic a l theorist K evin
P hillips, Jesse rem inded the inter­
national union leaders o f how much
we have won by w o rk in g together,
and then declared that “ the right
w ing tide has ebbed, and our issues
the w inds o f change beginning to
blow across the w orld.
Consider the U.S., where P hillips
e
raged is to see conveyance docu­
ments in the Bossier Parish (L o u isi­
ana) Courthouse concerning my tw o
paternal great grandfathers and pa­
ternal grandfather. Between 8172
and 1922 (50 years) these men had
and opportunists W e have seen
through public records exploitation
o f our ancestors w hich currently af­
fects our net worth and inheritance
to be passed on to our children.
G randfather Thomas A lfo rd re­
the master o f one o f m y great grand­
ceived a 162 acre land grant from
President W ilso n in 1916. By 1920,
fathers and have started tracking
he was dow n to 42 acres, it appears
him also. A lo n g this journey I have
discovered “ lost cousins" whose
ancestors were siblings to m y great
that the application fo r (he grant
was prepared by the w hite guys
w h o e ven tu a lly ended up w ith most
grandfather. I ’ ve found them in
F lorida, G eorgia, C a lifo rn ia and
o f it. Y ou sec, “ fro n tin g " w ith m i­
n o rity programs was going on back
Louisiana. C o lle c tiv e ly , we have
then also.
C anadian voters retained the L ib ­
p o litic s -b u i the Reagan Era is d e fi­
largest party.
The recent elections in France
ries have ju st suffered a smashing
defeat, w in n in g a mere 31% o f the
vote-the lowest in over 150 years!
The Tories retained only 165 seats,
their smallest num ber in almost a
century. T h a tch e rism has fin a lly
been consigned to h is to ry ’ s dustbin.
L o o k at C anada, where in 1993
the C onservative Party carried only
2 seats to ta l! A n d ju s t last m onth.
wane. A nd w hile i t ’ s true that our
side is not yet in charge, you can feel
p
has pointed out that the Republican
Party won less than 38% o f the vote
in 1992, and less than 42% in 1996,
their w orst back-to-back show ing
since F D R ’ s tim e Progressives may
not yet be in charge o f Am erican
nitely over.
O r take England, where the T o ­
the w o rld .”
Rev. Jackson noted that the con­
servatives are on a dow nw ard slope
now, w h ile progressive forces are on
the rise. Recent elections in the G-7
industrialized nations have made it
clear that the right w ing era is on the
r s p
e
erals in pow er, increased the N ew
D e m o cra tic P a rty 's share o f the
vote to 11%, and le ft the C o n se r­
va tive s w ith ju s t 20 seats out o l
301, m aking them o n ly the 5th-
dealt a body b lo w to the interna­
tional right
French voters rejected the right
w in g ’ s attack on the social safety
net. D o n 't pay any attention to the
m ainstream m edia com m entators
w ho keep p ra ttlin g on about the
French mistake; these voters knew
exactly what they were doing. They
were protecting a social safety net
that it took centuries o f struggle to
c
create.
Next year, Germany...
The point Rev. Jackson keep m ak­
ing is that the right w ing across the
industrialized w o rld took on the so­
cial safety net, but fo r the most part
we held them o ff. The right tried to
decrease taxes on the rich and p o w ­
erfu l-ju st as the GOP in the U S.
Congress is even now attem pting to
low er the capital gains and estate
taxes for the w ealthy-but the voters
have had enough o f special interest
favors.
The conservative, g re e d -d o m i­
nated era o f the 1980s is over. O ur
issues are com ing back onto the pub­
lic policy agenda: the huge and g ro w ­
ing gap between rich and poor; trade
and investment p o licy; the g lo b a l­
ization o f corporate capital, and the
need for a coordinated trade union
response; the corporate attack on
workers, pensions, and liv in g stan­
dards everywhere in the w orld.
The voters are on our side on
these issues. The wheel is turning.
The first ones now, shall later be
last
t i v
e
s
More science - the right kind IV
A L L R IG H T S
R ES E R V E D , R E P R O D U C T IO N IN W H O L E OR IN P A R T W IT H ­
better
.......................
are about to take center stage across
4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.,
Portland, Oregon 97211
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Email: Pdxobserv(6)aol.com
Articles:Friday, 5 :0 0 p m
Editorial Articles Do Not Necessarily
Reflect Or Represent The Views O f
(Tin- llo
rtla n h ODhsrrucr
_____________ _________ __________________ —
, ! J ! '
I
9. 1997 • T ul P or i la n d O bserver
teachers o f my acquaintance have re­
flected much o f the national senti­
And by all means be sure to shop
around Powells Bookstore at Tenth
and West Burnside. The best selec­
tions in the country and im portantly,
copies o f those “ by-subscription-only”
In clarification o f just what it was
ment. Education administrators don’ t
magazines you may wish to sample.
“ Forbes Magazine was saying about
realize what people in industry know;
right along w ith hardware and soft­
dents on a broad range o f exams over
four years; The ‘gender gap in the
his is the concluding ar
tid e of a four-part series
designed to provide a
relevant and effective support­
ing structure for the learning
experience in technology. Al­
ready, the response indicates
that, indeed, motivated parents
(and community) can make good
use of such material.
sciences is narrowing. The greatest
difference noted is low English scores
for boys - not low math for girls
the resentment o f some educators at
what they regarded as a misguided
"dum ping" o f com ­
puters and software
on overburdened
A t the end o f this article I have
appended an expanded citation ot last
week’s "relevant periodicals." (Some
readers expressed a d iffic u lty in se­
that is, i f the system
the Ed-Op page o f
the O re g o n ia n does ve ry w e ll;
the thing."
Please note that the Educational
Testing Service recently tracked the
scores o f more than 15 m illio n stu­
is to work.
Because ofthe constraints o f space,
W hile there look for a used copy o f
“ B io lo g y: The N etw ork o f L ife ". M ix ,
Farber & King, Harper C ollins, 1992.
This is the most comprehensive and
best structured biology book I ’ veseen.
• N a tu ra l H istory M agazine: A m eri-
can Museum o f N a tu ra l H istory,
M e m b e rsh ip Services, P.O . B o x
3030, H a rla n L A 51593-2091, $22 a
year.
• P o p u la r S cie n ce M a g a z in e ):
P o p u la r Science, PO B ox 51282,
Boulder, Co 80323-1282 $17.94 a
Putting
1 w ill have assign the reader some
computers in every classroom w on’ t
guarantee better educated children,
but it w ill cost a lot o f money.”
School districts wanting to be seen
as “ on the cutting edge o f the new
technologies" (and gearing up for
tasks; for-the full address. 8(X) num­
ber, etc. o f the "Edm und Scientific
C o.” call dow ntow n library inform a­
tion service, 248-5234 This firm has
bigger budgets). Are dropping music
youth: electronics, optics, astronomy,
El. 32142-9143 $24.00 a year.
A ll w ill begin subscriptions im m e­
and art p rogram s, d is c o n tin u in g
communications, biology, etc.
diately and b ill later.
“ C lin to n ’ s Shaky Bridge
ence clubs. O M S I is so much at pop
science' (and a w fu lly expensive),
whereas an ongoing neighborhood
relationship among peers and school­
mates such as you had w ould be just
ware there necessarily must come the
expensive p ro fe s­
sional expertise and
tra in in g tim e , and
the related cu rricu ­
lum development -
teachers still trying
to instill the basics
- A July 2 article on
curing the addresses for subscriptions).
Others said, "thanks for that inform a­
tion about k id 's ’ neighborhood' sci­
needed vocational classes (the latter
were recommended by the C linton's
own Advisory Council ). Several local
the widest selection in the nation when
it comes to scientific apparatus for
year
• Sm ithsonian M agazine: M em ber­
ship Data Center, S m ithsonian In ­
stitution, PO B ox 42039, P alm Coast,
Confronting the myth of deadbeat dads
by
L ayne B arlow
onday June 23, 1997
the Oregonian's front
page carried an article
about House Bill 2 3 24, recently
heard by Senator Miller’s Rules
& Elections Committee.
In fact, Republicans and D em o­
crats alike count on increased ch ild
abled, m entally incapacitated, un­
employed, o r otherwise unable to
support co lle ctio n s as a cornerstone
o f their w elfare reform plans. Y ou
pay pre-set ch ild support amounts.
d o n ’ t have to be a member o f the
w o rld cham pion U.S. M ath O ly m ­
piad team to see that there is some­
The article was also in error on
several key points, including the ever
popular fiction o f "noncustodial par­
ents owe more than $34 b illio n na­
tio n w id e in back c h ild support."
Nancy, you know better, because you
asked us fo r the facts and figures to
refute that and we provided it.
Oregon M e n ’ s A ssociation op­
thing w rong w ith those calculations.
Even under the rosiest projections ot
the g o v e rn m e n t’ s A n n u a l C h ild
Support Report, in 1992 (the last
year fo r w hich data is available),
there was about $20.9 b illio n in court-
ordered ch ild support owed by all
Am ericans and, o f that, a little more
than $6 b illio n was paid. T h is leaves
$4.9 b illio n in unpaid ch ild support
But the largest num ber o f all d e lin ­
quents are those w ho sim p ly d o n ’ t
exist.
Recently, the F lo rid a Department
o f Revenue, the agency responsible
fo r ch ild support enforcem ent in that
state, sent out 700,000 notices o f
allegedly delin q u e n t fathers. The
summonses demanded im m ediate
payment or the recipient w ould be
incarcerated.
Subsequently, o ffic ia ls a ckn o w l­
than 90%.
Joint Custody is the cure to the
ch ild support problem and is the
closest thing to a tw o-parent fa m ily
that we can give a child. U n fo rtu ­
nately, more than 90%, o f litigated
divorces result in an award o f sole
custody to the mother.
Even when fathers do receive
court-ordered access to their c h il­
dren, their visita tio n attempts are
often met w ith interference by the
mothers.
Joan B erlin K e lle y and Judith
W allerstein, in "S u rvivin g th e Break-
U p ” (Basic Books, 1990), found that
almost h a lf o f all mothers see no
value in the father’ s continued con­
tact w ith hischildren fo llo w in g sepa­
ration o r divorce.
to co lle ct the sm aller amount o f ch ild
edged that probably 6(X),(XX)of those
notice were sent to in d ivid u a ls who
actually did not owe ch ild support.
One o f those re c ip ie n ts , D a n ie l
W ells, died eight years ago in a
tra ffic accident, but the state s till
posed law in the future.
For now we w ill orient you to the
support o b lig a tio n s. W e ’ ve tried
wanted him to cough up $ 160.IXX) in
Sanford Braver, a U n ive rsity o f
A riz o n a p sych o log ist, c o n firm e d
m any times over the past 10 years,
problem , courtesy o f Stuart M ille r
and the M arch 2. 1995, W a ll Street
Journal entitled “ The M y th o f Dead
yet no e ffo rt has increased the per­
past due support!
N o r is this an isolated case.
The General Accounting O ffice
these figures and found that up to
40%, o f mothers interfere w ith the
dad’ s relationship w ith his kids.
found in 1992 that as many as 15% o f
beat Dads” ...
C hild-support co lle ctio n has re­
cently become a big issue in Wash
ington. President C lin to n issued an
executive order this week requiring
all federal agencies to fa cilita te the
more than 1%.
This is due to a number o f factors.
First, o f the 30%, o f child support
payments not collected, a significant
number are owed by fathers who are
imprisoned. A high percentage o f
G iven this documented connec­
tion between a father’ s access to his
children and the payment o f ch ild
support,
• W hy does W ashington [and Sa­
paym ent o f fa th e r’ s debts. A nd
Health and Human Services Secre­
tary Donna Shalala te stifie d that if
we co lle ct all o f the c h ild support
owned by Am ericans, we w ould re­
duce the $2(X) b illio n w elfare cost by
prisoners have child support obliga­
tions, and as many as one-third ofth e
inmates in many county ja ils are there
in the first place because o f child
support noncompliance.
M any o f the other delinquent fa­
25%
thers are addicts, alcoholics, d is­
poses H B 2324. It is very long, very
w rong, and makes O r w e ll’ s B ig
Brother seem like a frie n d ly uncle in
comparison. We w ill get in to the
many, many problems w ith this pro­
S ubscribe
to
in 1992-far short o fth e $50 b illio n
Ms. Shalala hopes to raise.
B ut i t ’ s v irtu a lly impossible even
centage o f collections fo r welfare
m other (the biggest target group) by
® i| e $ o r t i a « h o D b a e r u c r
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fathers who owe child support are
dead. The report further stated that
66%, o f fathers w ho owe support “ can­
not afford to pay the amount ordered."
The easiest w ay, then, to increase
the figures on ch ild-support co lle c­
tions is sim p ly fo r the governm ent to
lem /) seem intent on punishing the
make an accurate ta lly , U n til this
happens, i t ’ s im possible to discuss
remedies fo r the ch ild-support prob­
creates a clim ate encouraging non-
com pliance?
One way around this problem may
be to make ch ild support obligations
lem.
Once a serious discussion gets
under way, one o f the first items on
the agenda should be the inherent
unfairness in taking som ething away
from people and then m aking them
pay fo r it. M ost fathers are deeply
com m itted to th e ir children, yet a
1991 Census Bureau study found
that about h a lf o f fathers receive no
court-ordered visita tio n . W hen fa ­
father?
• What about the m other w ho
more equitable. A t the moment, ch ild
support is almost e xclu sive ly the
burden o f fathers. The federal O ffice
o f Income Security P olicy found in
1991 that less than 30% o f custodial
lathers receive a ch ild support award,
whereas almost 80%, o f custodial
mothers do.
Yet, about 47% o f those mothers
who are ordered to pay support totally
----------------- -------------------------------------------
thers do receive visita tio n , almost
80% pay all o f their ch ild support on
tim e and in fu ll. W hen fathers re­
default on their obligation. In the
interest o f fairness, i f nothing else,
policy makers should make an effort
________________________
ceive jo in t custody, the ch ild sup­
to collect child support from both
delinquent fathers and mothers.
T hank Y ou F or R eading T he P ortiand O bserver
port com pliance rate jumps to more